You can learn a lot about the lasting impact of a school from speaking with alumni. Noble Academy alums had plenty to tell me about why they are #ProudToBeNoble. Listen to their stories to understand how a school dedicated to serving students with learning differences can offer an invaluable path toward bright futures.
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Gayle Cole:
One of the most important ways you can measure the lasting impact of a school is to check in with the alumni, so that is just what I did after I arrived at Noble. The first person I called was not just any alum, but one who currently serves on our board of Trustees. His name is Jaylon Smallwood, Noble class of 2015, and he will be the first guest voice you hear. His classmate, Colby Pleasants, will join the conversation as well. And you’ll also hear from Eric Gal, an alum who currently is on the Noble faculty, as well from a retired Noble teacher Susan Hughes. As you listen to these interviews, it’s important to know that Noble originally began as Guilford Day School, and didn’t get its new name until 2010, so you will hear members of the alumni call the school by both names. Whether they call it Guilford Day or Noble Academy, they are talking about a school that has always been about empowering students who have learning differences and setting them on a path for bright futures.
Jaylon:
Hello. My name is Jaylon Smallwood.
When I started at Noble, I started in 2nd grade. At that time, it was Guilford Day School, though.
The main challenges I faced when I first came to Guilford Day School, now Noble, was I had auditory processing disorder as well as dyslexia and basic reading and reading English and math comprehension.
I graduated from Noble in 2015, and we had a class of 15 students.
When I left Noble I went to UNC Charlotte, and I got my undergraduate in architecture, and then I got my Masters in urban design from the university as well.
I think I think one thing that often seems simple is that the main skills that Noble gave me was the school for advocacy. The main thing they always advocated for me when I was going to college was always, like, be aware of what you need and always ask for that. And that was really helpful for me when I was at UNC Shaw because I could go to the resource office and be like, this is what I need to succeed. And it was great that the university had a great resource office to help me get what I needed. So, in that time, especially during architecture, there are a lot of times where there's so much information that you need, and I was able to get student notes or I can bring a recorder. And that was simply because I was able to remember from Noble how to advocate for myself and get those skills I needed.
Currently, I'm working as an urban planner. The easiest way to explain it to most people who haven't heard of urban planner is that, like, architects work on small-scale on buildings. Urban planner works on a city scale, so helping design large scales of plots or community blocks. I've been doing that for going on 4 years now, and I find a lot because, you know, it helps me with, I would say, doing a large they're like big puzzles in a sense. So, it's always a new challenge every day.
COLBY:
My name is Colby Pleasants. Is Colby like cheese, like Colby Jack cheese? I came to Noble in 7th grade and stayed all the way through graduation to 12th grade. I graduated in 2015.
I had a lot of challenges growing up. Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD. I was told that I wasn't gonna be able to do certain things like other kids were gonna be able to do, and kinda was taught basically that I was gonna probably not do well in life and in school.
I would say that school was never really my favorite. I never liked school, but going to Noble really helped me kinda come out of that and enjoy what I was learning, enjoy being around my teachers, enjoy being around my friends, of course, and my classmates.
I got to be more confident, became a better student, and, I just was allowed to kinda express myself and I played a lot of sports at Noble, and I was just able to be myself at Noble, and that's what really helped me out, a lot. And it's probably one thing that I loved about Noble is that I was able to just be myself.
And, you know, going to Noble, having to take all the weight training classes I took because I was an athlete and, playing all the sports I played, you know, it prepared me to work physically demanding jobs.
And so that's what I do right now. I work for a company that distributes concrete materials.
And then, also, I have my own podcast. I do a podcast for NC State University. Go Wolfpack, of course. I love NC State. That was my favorite college team growing up. And I don't know if I would be able to have the confidence to do this if I didn't have gone to Noble.
So, I just feel like Noble really just helped me find all my good friends. I am still friends with the guys I graduated with. We have a group chat and everything. I love my guys. Those are my friends. They'll be my best men at my wedding. It's like, they're my friends for life, and they're also my teammates from playing sports too. So, I wouldn't trade going to Noble for anything. You know? It was the best decision my family made for me.
Eric:
My name is Eric Gal.
When I started at Noble, I was in 6th grade.
I graduated from Noble in 2005.
I'm thrilled to be teaching at Noble. I decided in 10th grade when I was watching one of my peers in drama class just through the sheer theatrical process and the teacher working with all of us so closely. I watched him turn from someone who mumbled, wouldn't look you in the eye, didn't necessarily seem to have a lot of confidence in himself to someone who could advocate for himself, would look people in the eye, would speak clearly, and has gone on to have jobs and be successful. And so, I wanted to do that for people. So, when I went to UNCG, I majored in theater education, picked up a bachelor's degree in that and then went back for a second bachelor's degree in English education. And by the end of my second bachelor's degree, I had realized that the best place for me to teach would be the place I knew best because I know this population. I know what they need. I know what is helpful and not helpful to them.
When I started at Noble, I had a bunch of roles that have shifted a little bit over time. So when I came to Noble, I taught some history classes, some English classes. I taught learning strategies that I learned when I was here. I've taught middle and high school for many years. And when the previous theater teacher left, I inherited the high school theater classes when they were available. And, working with administrators, I created the spring production, which allows students who maybe don't have room in their schedules to try theater, to take theater classes, and an opportunity to still be involved in it.
GAYLE COLE:
Jaylon, Colby, and Eric talked to me at length about the impact their teachers had on them. They also had a powerful impact on their teachers. Susan Hughes was one of the very first teachers hired at Guilford Day School, and she didn’t retire for almost three decades. She still is a very important part of our community, and just like our alums, she told me that she is proud to be Noble.
SUSAN:
I taught here for 29 years. And, in all of those years, changes of faculty, changes of head of school, our focus has always been on empowering the students to know that they can do whatever they wanna do.
I'm most proud to be noble because I I am fortunate enough to still walk alongside a number of my past students and celebrate with them where their life is, what they've accomplished, or pat them on the back and reaffirm to them that they can do it and it's gonna be okay. It's not a pride in anything that I did for them. It's a pride in who they are and that I still get to be connected with them.
It's interesting to see that many of their careers are hands-on.
I'm thinking of several. One boy just loves to cut down trees. I mean, he loves it. You know, he's strong.
As soon as he graduated, he started his own tree business and we've all used him. We've all called him during the years.
You know, he just loves what he does. He's just a quiet, hardworking boy who is just as happy as he can be. He's right where he wanted to be.
I have another student who was fixing some of the teachers' computers when he was here. Just a technological mind that was, you know, brilliant. And, he runs his own website tech business and has, you know, major businesses that he does their websites and updates them and cleans up their computers, you know, on a regular basis.
I have one of my past students, I've used as my real estate agent. She loves what she's doing.
We have a couple of people who went into catering because they love to cook and they're really good at it.
We've had several kids start their own landscaping business.
They've all been successful.
I think of one student who is now, in his forties, late forties, who arrived at the Guilford Day School in his high school years just kind of lost in a lot of different ways and a little bit rebellious, a little bit, you know, I'm gonna do my own thing. And he was a little bit resistant to the fact that teachers really wanted to know him and walk with him and teach him in a way that was gonna make a difference. But by the time he graduated, I mean, a lot of his habits and things like that and his perspective about some things had not changed, but he knew that he was able to go out and do anything he wanted to do. And that changed his whole perspective.
So, he did some years in college. He did some different jobs, but he ended up in one particular job where he rose to the top. He actually received a national award and was written up in the New York Times.
And, he he now has he and his wife and daughter are, I'm on the I serve on the board with them of the organization that they are starting that's a pay what you can restaurant where they're reaching out to the food insecure in their area, in Eastern North Carolina and it's, you know, when you when you met a child coming into your classroom who had no particular direction and no particular, dreams and goals and you watch them through their life excelling and succeeding and being a happy and fulfilled person and then they turn around and decide they wanna give some of that back to the community, that's pretty special.
GAYLE COLE:
As we wrap up this episode of the Blue and Gold Chat, I want to thank again retired teacher Susan Hughes, who you heard at the end, and alums Jaylon Smallwood, Colby Pleasants, and Eric Gal. You might hear their voices again in upcoming episodes, because this is part of an ongoing series about Noble Academy’s alums. If you once attended Noble, or know someone who did who would like to share their story, please let me know.
And a huge shoutout of gratitude to Efren Renteria, a current parent in our High School who produces this show.
Thanks to the whole GDS and Noble community.
We are proud to be Noble.
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